The Adventures of Flare Brimstone

by Burningbloom78

Adventurous Remembrance

Author's Note:

Time to give the wonderful bat pony a rest from her hectic life.

Another day in Equestria for the bat pony, Flare Brimstone, an ardent adventurer and shopkeeper in the village of Ponyville. It was her day off, a perfect time to lounge around the shop awaiting customers with her little snake pet/friend Nesotoc, who was napping soundly, coiled up around Flare Brimstone's neck.

The morning was slow. At noon she had a few customers, and with the afternoon came a bit more, then during the evening, she had made a total of twenty sales, which was great considering every item she possessed had been discovered over her endless adventures around the world. It was a nice feeling, that, for once, the bat pony could mellow out and admire her surroundings. She would be lying if she said she didn't need a break from all the recent excursions throughout this year.

Every creature in town knew Flare Brimstone and her journeys. She was an icon and agent to Princess Celestia, an ally of the Element Bearers, one of the very few bat ponies that lived outside of Hollow Shades, and a force of goodwill, whose merits are contrived from hard work and determination; she was indeed a character who has achieved much and more and unwittingly serves as a role model for many colts and fillies: She is respected and admired.

When nothing was going on, Flare Brimstone could stop and relax for a day or two before getting back to what she loved the most. The day swept on by and as the bat pony was closing up shop for the night, she heard a voice so serene, and calm call out from behind the mare.

Flare Brimstone turns around and basks in the magnificence of Princess Celestia and her former student and Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, who stood beside the tall alicorn with a gracious and kind smile. Caught off guard and spellbound by having two alicorns approach her quaint shop, Flare steeled herself and bowed before greeting the royalty.

"Your Majesties, to what do I owe the pleasure of your presences?" the bat pony inquired, scratching the top of her mane with her wing in faint confusion.

Princess Celestia stepped forth and embraced Flare Brimstone in a loving caress. "My agent," she began with her angelic voice, "Princess Twilight Sparkle and I were wondering if we could purchase a relic or two from your humble shop." Her Radiance looked at her agent's store and saw the sign say "closed" and frowned slightly, and so did Princess Twilight Sparkle. "But it seems we are too late. I never should have had those last few slices of cake..."

Unable to stand and see the princesses' frown, Flare Brimstone gently broke the embrace of Her Radiance and reopened her shop with a key cradled in the brown bag she carried around. She enters the shop and flips the "closed" sign to "open" and kindly beckoned the two princesses inside her little store.

Once the two entered, they were taken back by the casual look of the shop. It was a predominantly brown interior with a black floor. From right to left ten rows and ten columns of relics lined up the shelves featuring a variety of odd artifacts and trinkets Flare found over the years. Above them were objects and treasure displayed openly, all of them looking completely different from one another. Princess Celestia smiled when she saw the necklace, she and her sister, Princess Luna, made during their youth.

Flare Brimstone guided them to the cash register before going behind it and resting her forelegs atop the counter with a beautiful smile next to a still sleeping Nesotoc.

The lovely bat pony noticed the two alicorns glancing over to Nesotoc and giggling cutely. "Its name is Nesotoc, but I like to call it Nessie," Flare said quietly, smoothing the snake's body with her loving hoof. "Look around, my lords, and pick out what you desire."

The princesses obliged, veering around the shop with mused, curious looks plastered on their faces. Princess Celestia's eyes were instantly drawn to a black vase with white designs mirroring an opulent crown with crossed swords below it. The allure of the vase enraptured Princess Celestia and she asked Flare Brimstone where she obtained such a gloriously constructed item.

Flare trots on over and began to explain, saying, "Oh, that? It was a gift from Griffonstone after I assisted in rebuilding the town and train station and retrieving their Idol of Boreas from Abysmal Abyss. The gift itself came from a griffon artist named Nordly. After that, the griffons began seeing that ponies weren't all that bad. I'll have to return there and see if they appointed a new king or queen."

Princess Celestia was awestruck at Flare Brimstone's generosity and willingness to help the fallen, misery-stricken city back on their hooves... paws.

"You have done a great service, my agent, and you have my thanks," she said, grasping the vase with her magic. "How much will this wonderful vase be?"

Flare Brimstone shook her head and smiled. "Free of charge, Your Majesty."

Princess Celestia frowned a little before raising her brow. "My agent... I couldn't just take this for free. Allow me to pay you for it. Please."

Flare Brimstone rubbed the back of her mane softly, opening her mouth to object, but then she looked at Princess Celestia's countenance and saw she was using the dreaded... puppy dog eyes. It was an evil maneuver that usually allows the user to get away with what they want, and although Flare was usually immune to its dastardly effects, having it being performed by Princess Celestia affected her greatly in the heart, and she had no choice but to give in and usher the White Beauty to the counter for the vase's purchase. She hung her head in disgrace.

While the transaction was underway, Princess Twilight Sparkle lifted an off piece of... what seemed to be rubble that belonged to a gray, stone building, but it had the writing of a unique scripture she had never seen before. Enthralled by this observation, Princess Twilight Sparkle levitated over to the register where Flare Brimstone had just finished selling Princess Celestia the black vase. She moves out the way to have her former student attract Flare's attention.

"Could you elucidate where you came across this odd rubble?" the lavender alicorn asked with a gleeful grin. "This oddity has grafted my heart, and I simply have to know its origin!"

Flare Brimstone grinned and recalled the events in her head, assisted with the tapping of a hoof on her chin. "Ah, now I remember!" she said with a hoof lightly hitting the counter gaily. "It's from a ruined temple somewhere around the very pinnacle of Northern Equestria. The bizarre writing you see was written by a pony of old, a mare named Mother Oppiera, an evangelist." Flare Brimstone turned her attention to Princess Celestia. "You should know, Your Majesty."

Princess Celestia nodded solemnly. "Verily. Not just any evangelist, but the first; a priest."

Flare Brimstone agreed. "I thought you'd know her since how long you've been living," Flare said with a low chuckle before meeting Princess Twilight Sparkle's eyes again and beginning to explain who Mother Oppiera was.

Mother Oppiera was a unicorn who saw the ruler of Equestria as a goddess that is to be loved, worshipped, and respected. She conveyed to others to worship their ruler and built temples all over Equestria to assist and educate new ponies to idolize and praise the ruler and express their reverence to the Sun Goddess by writing poems, singing, painting, and performing dances.

She was so enamored and obsessed with Princess Celestia, Mother Oppiera created a religion for the Sun Goddess called Sunuism. It was a religion that practiced spreading love, peace, and harmony through acts of nonviolence or pacifism in the name of the Sun Goddess. It was widely accepted and welcomed wholeheartedly. Mother Oppiera, or Oppi as she was more commonly called by close friends and family, wrote, on parchment, sacred scriptures detailing the practices of Sunuism in fervent stacks.

Another stack served as her diary, detailing her personal feelings towards the Sun Goddess. It was an unhealthy infatuation she expressed so vehemently until her death a few thousand years ago. Flare Brimstone explained that the temples all around Equestria had been torn down and rotted away due to age and that only two of the temples stands against the test of time: There was one at the top of Northern Equestria and another in a village somewhere in the west, where those who still believe in the teachings are said to be living there.

"That rubble is part of a history that gathered ponies together to create harmony, a cornerstone of our world in which we value highly," Flare further explained with a healthy smile. "Just for you, Princess Twilight Sparkle, it'll be free, or, if you so refuse such an offer, half-priced. Do we have a deal?"

Princess Twilight Sparkle squealed internally, holding an important piece of history that helped shape the world of Equestria, and even further did her excitement peak; knowing that two temples persisted sent the lavender alicorn swooning. Without hesitation, she disbursed the total amount of bits and a few extra for Flare Brimstone's brief edification of the rubble's history. Flare put the stone in a black bag and handed it to the lavender princess.

Although they bought the items that fancied their gazes; the two princesses continued to browse the store; they began perusing the bat pony's wares carefully. They had hoped to part away with a few more bits. Flare Brimstone didn't mind their presence. It was calming and oddly therapeutic to behold the alicorn princesses simply roaming about the shop like normal ponies.

Spacing out, Flare Brimstone's attention was grabbed when Princess Celestia presented a delicate statue of obsidian depicting a dragon roaring to the sky. Flare assumed the Sun Goddess desired to buy the item, so she held out her hoof. Then she waited. And waited some more. And kept waiting. Still waiting. Nothing happened and Flare Brimstone was muddled.

"Uh, Your Radiance? Would you mind if I took the item?" Flare uttered tentatively, still waiting, but the princess did not budge, yet she did have a meek smile. "Is there something wrong?"

Princess Celestia shook her head, saying, "I am waiting for you to tell me how you acquired this particular item. You always give a little story."

Flare chuckled sheepishly before stretching and petting Nesotoc softly. "I got that from the Dragon Lands after helping Princess Ember defeat a large dragon threatening to steal her scepter and destroy her subjects, that greedy lizard. After I gave it a thrashing and dragged it away, I was rewarded for my effort with that object."

Princess Celestia clapped her hooves together. "That was marvelous, but I am confused. Why were you in the Dragon Lands?"

Flare rubbed her mane. "I was doing some gathering for materials to bring to the twin blacksmiths, Helter & Skelter, on your orders, in Canterlot's Blastburn Forge," she said plainly. "To create the special black weapons. And to make things even better, the twins are unicorns and can infuse the weapon with magical properties. Quite useful when there could be a time that Equestria would be able to use such powerful tools; they'll be strengthening the nation's firepower by a good margin. Which reminds me... I need to find some more in the near future."

Princess Celestia looked warmly at her dutiful agent. "I'm glad that Canterlot has been expanding and more welcoming towards ponies with passions and jobs not commonly seen. It fills me with joy. And on that note, this statue will be my final purchase tonight."

Flare nodded and proceeded with the transaction. Whilst collecting the bits, Flare Brimstone espied Princess Twilight Sparkle eying a certain gold and white tablet and called out to her quietly, asking if she was willing to buy it.

Princess Twilight Sparkle blushed and shook her head quickly. "I've already gotten what for tonight," she said, gesturing to the ancient rubble. "I'm going to study it and maybe have Pinkie's sister, Maud, to accompany my research; she has a... penchant for rocks and various types of the sort. Thank you for telling me about it." Princess Twilight Sparkle bowed in appreciation.

Flare Brimstone emulated the kind gesture. Princess Celestia was done shopping and so was Princess Twilight Sparkle. The two bid the bat pony a fond farewell, exiting the shop. Flare Brimstone watched them go, happy to have given them a few stories about her adventures.

A little while later, the bat pony yawned and closed her shop for the night, leaving Nesotoc inside as usual and headed home to rest.

After speaking about her previous adventures, Flare Brimstone could not wait for the next one. Until then.